Machinery Pete

Learn how to better manage your machinery investments from Greg Peterson, a.k.a. "Machinery Pete." He's been researching and analyzing machinery auction prices for more than 20 years.

World's 1st 30-Row Corn Head

Aug 27, 2013

Wow.

Not much else you can say about a 30-row corn head at first glance. I stopped by the Calmer Corn Heads exhibit today (August 27, 2013) on the first day of the 2013 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, IL to take a peek at what I'd heard rumblings about....the world's 1st 30-row, 12-inch corn head.

It was definitely worth the stop and look see. But what made my visit even better was realizing that as I was browsing the company's literature and fine display of historical articles and videos at the exhibit that Mr. Calmer, as in CEO Marion Calmer, was front and center pleasantly and easily chatting up passers by who came to gawk at the world's 1st 30-row corn head.

Now I never go anywhere without my camera...so I shot a very fun little six minute video interview with Marion and had him walk us through the history on the development of this 30-row marvel. Amazing stuff. One thing I learned....Marion Calmer's great grandfather came over from Sweden, from the Calmerland region, and was a blacksmith.

Soft spot in my heart there...Machinery Pete's great grandpa George Peterson was also a blacksmith before getting into the farm implement biz back in 1920 in Tolley, ND. Here's the Youtube video interview with Marion Calmer:

This is why I've LOVED covering the farm machinery sector for almost 24 years now....so many smart, hard working, innovative and creative folks like Marion Calmer around doing amazing things. I wonder what Marion's or my great grandfather, a pair of old world blacksmiths, would have thought of a 30-row corn head mounted on the front of that MASSIVE combine?

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Anonymous8/28/2013 05:28 PM

Great piece of work Mr Calmer, you inspired me to build my twin row corn planter 6 years ago, so happy with it ,not sure about 12" corn though, my Stine rep showed it to me last week , spraying and post anything would be a real challenge. I will be watching though.

Anonymous8/28/2013 05:28 PM

Great piece of work Mr Calmer, you inspired me to build my twin row corn planter 6 years ago, so happy with it ,not sure about 12" corn though, my Stine rep showed it to me last week , spraying and post anything would be a real challenge. I will be watching though.